Cigar lighter



May 15, 1928. 1,669,849

c. BAIA CIGAR LIGHTER Original Filed Aug, 4, 1925 INVENTOR 6244mm BA/AATTORNEY Patented May 15, 1928-,

UNITED STATES CHARLES BAIA, OF WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY.

GIG-AR LIGHTER.

Application filed August 4, 1925, Serial No. 48,015.

My invention relates to cigar lighters used for lighting cigars,cigarettes, stogies and the like.

My 1nvent1on coinprehends a number of improvements in cigar lighters,among them being the following:

1. To render the lighting mechanism practically waterproof, by enclosingthe same in a suitable casing adapted for this purpose.

2. To employ electrically operated mechanism located within the casingand controllable by contact mechanism so arranged that the operator, bysimply pressing his thumb upon a single butt-on, opens the casing andenergizes the lighting mechanism.

3. To give the various parts such form and arrangement that the coveropens with a snap each time the button is pressed for the purpose juststated.

t. To give various parts such form and arrangement as to improve thegeneral eiiiciency of the device.

I Reference is made to the accompanying drawing forming a part of thespecification, and in which like reference characters indicate likeparts throughout the several figures.

Figure 1 is a substantially central section through my improved cigarlighter, the casing being shown as closed and the contact mechanism insuch condition that the lighting mechanism is de-energized.

Figure 2 is a side view showing the casing in section and various otherparts in elevation.

Figure 3 is an elevation with parts of the device indicated as brokenaway.

Figure 4 is a section on the line.44 of Figure 1, looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

Figure 5 is a plan View of the device, showing the cover as partlybroken away.

The casing appears at 6 and has generally the form of a cup. It isprovided with an annular head 7 and with a substantially cylindricalportion 8 of reduced diameter. This portion being provided with anopening 10.

Located within the casing is a core 11 made of insulating materialcapable of withstanding considerable heat. For this purpose lava,earthenware, porcelain, or the like may be employed.

The core 11 is provided with a portion 12 eian i ar f rm which extends di Renewed September 23, 1927.

the portion 8 of the casing. Encircling this portion 12 is a shoulder 13of annular form. A screw 13, carried by the core 11, engages the screw15 and holds it firmly in position.

The core 11 is provided with a portion 14 which is rounded andapproximates a hemispherical form.

A metallic screw 15 extends into the core 11, which is provided with athreaded hole for this purpose, and a nut 16 is fitted upon one end ofthis screw as indicated more particularly in Figure 1.

A heating wire is titted upon the rounded portion 14 of the core and isused for lighting the cigars or cigarettes. The heating wire 17 isprovided with an end portion 18 which extends through a hole 19 and issecured to the screw 15 in any appropriate manner, preferably bysoldering or by brazing. The heating wire is provided with another endportion 20 which extends through a hole 21 in the core and is secured bya screw 22. This screw serves the double purpose of a contact member anda means for holding the end portion of the heating wire.

The heating wire may be made of any heating resisting metal suitable forthe purpose; as for instance, nichrome, Monel metal, or any of thevarious alloys used in making other kinds of heating wire.

The core 11 is provided with a slot 23, extendin in a general directionsubstantially parallel with the axis of the core, as may be understoodfrom Figure 3. Located within this slot is a leaf spring 24: providedwith an end portion 25 bent to substantially rightangle and engaging theshoulder 13 of the core. The bent portion 25 engages the clamping washer28 having a general annular form, and encircling the annular portion 12of the core. as may be understood from Figures 1 and l.

The annular washer 26 is provided with a slot 26 of the form shown moreparticularly in Figure 4;. A wire 28, used for supplying electriccurrent as hereinafter described, ex tends in between the clamping ring26 and the annular shoulder 18, as shown in Figures 1 and l, so that theannular washer 26 and the adjacent end portion of the wire 28 areclamped together between the annular shoulder 9 of the casing and theannular shoulder 13 of the core. This arrangement insures a goodmetallic communication between the wire 28, the annular Washer 26 andthe spring 24:.

Another wire 29 runs parallel withthe wire 28, and the two-wires areincorporated in a conducting cord 80. The end portion of the Wire 29extends in between the metallie nut 16 and the adjacent annular portion12 of the core 11/ By this arrangement good metallic communication isestablished between-the wire 29, the metallic screw 15, and the heatingwire 17.

A. washer 31 of insulating material fits intothe bottom of the portion 8of the easing and serves to prevent the cord conductor 30 from beingchafed by the adjacent edge portion of the casing.

The leaf spring 2-); carries button 32, mounted upon a stem 33, whichextends through a hole in the wall of the casing. The upper end of theleaf spring is bent to an obtuse angle thus forming a latch 34c, as maybe understood from Figure 1. The operator by pressing upon the button 32with his thumb can flex the=leaf spring 24.

A metallic cap 35, having substantially a hemispherical form, is carriedby the easing 6 and forms a closure for the casing. This cap is providedwith an annular bead 36, which. is adapted to engage the annular bead 7of the casing. Theseannular beads strengthen the members carrying themand tend to improve the appearance of the device. The cap 35 is furtherprovided with an annular groove 37, so located that when the capispressed down upon the easing into the position indicated for it inFigure .1, the leaf spring 341- is slightly flexed and the latch 34snaps intothe groove 37 and holds the cap down firmly in position, thuseffectively closing the casing and rendering the same practicallywatertight.

' The casing 6 is provided with a slot 38 as shown more particularly inFigure 2. Located adjacent this slot and movable so as to readily closethe same is a leaf spring 39, secured to the casing by a screw 40 andprovided with an eye 41. The upper portion of the spring 39 is slightlycurved as indicated in Figure 3, and extending through the eye 41 is apin 42 carried by tively straight, as may be understood by contrastingFigures 1 and 2. From this it vfollows that whenever the casing isclosed the leaf spring 39 is under tension in the sense that :it ispulling upon the adjacent .portionI of thecap Asia'result of this ar-.rangement, when the various parts occupy the positions indicated forthem in Figure 'the latch 34 extends into the groove 37 it holds the capvery firmly down on the cas- 111g.

As will be noted from the foregoing explanation, whenever the operatorpresses upon the button 32 so as to causethe leaf spring 84% to flex,two distinct objects are accomplished. moved from the groove 37 and thecap 35 is thus released, so that it snaps from one of its normalpositions into the other, or in other words, the casing flies open.Second, the leaf spring 2-1, considered as a contact member, makesengagement with the screw 22, also considered as a contact member. Theengagement of these two contact members closes acircuit through theheating wire '17. I

This circuit may be traced as follows: \Vire 28, metallic washer 26,spring 24, screw 22, heating wire 17, screw 15, wire 29throughconducting cord 30 to source of supply, not shown, andthence backthrough wire 28. 1

Since the spring 24 never engages the screw 22 except when the operatorpresses upon the button 32, the electric circuit is also opened when thecasing is closed; and even with the casing opened the circuitvdoes notremain closed except when the operator continues pressing the button 32.Thus even with the casing openthere is no undue waste of current,because the operator leaves thecircuit open except when he is actuallyusingthe heating wire 17 forpurposes of lighting the cigarette or thelike.

Having thus described my invention wha 'i'claim as new and at ire tosecure by Let ters Patent is as follows: i

A device of the character described, com prising a casing, a coverjournaled upon said and movable for the purpose of opening and closingthe same, a core made of insulating material and fitted into saidcasing,saidcore being provided with a slot, a spring member carried by saidcore and located within said slot, aheating coil -mounted upon said coreand so located as to be exposed whenever said casing is opened.

-mecha'nism for controlling said heating coil.

Signed'at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,this 30th day of July.

cults. am.

First, the latch 34; is relit?

